Revenge
by Jacqy's Love
Summary: Cloud learns that something terrible has happened to Aerith, with Sephiroth as the culprit. After learning of what happened to her, Cloud finds that his journey for revenge is turning into an obsession. How far will one man go for revenge?
1. Safe & Sound

_Hi, Jacqy here, To start this off, I will say this is inspired by another fan fiction. I recently read one that was... quite well written but had a terribly horrific plot(I couldn't stomach through it). Aerith fell victim to Sephiroth and his monstrous desire to torture Cloud by physically taking Aerith against her will. In that story, no one avenged Aerith... no one saved her. She had to suffer through and get reduced to this sexual object for Sephiroth's sick and twisted games. And it made me really depressed as an Aerith fan! So I wanted to write a story like it where Sephiroth pays **immensely** for what he did to her... **and it would be Cloud who would make him pay**. _

_**PLOT:** When no one's at her side or even expecting it, Sephiroth appears in front of Aerith, hoping to break Cloud down through putting her through suffering, he takes her body against her will, torturing her in every way a person could be, tormenting her as he mocks and destroys her innocence. Weeks following the event show Cloud that Aerith has changed, and for the worse. He comes to her one night, hoping to console her... but can he? Can a trampled flower ever be healed?  
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_Couples: Cloud x Aerith(not dating yet) & Sephiroth to Aerith._

_Characters: Cloud/Aerith/Sephiroth/Cid/Leon/Yuffie_

_Setting: Radiant Garden, sometime after Kingdom Hearts II, after Cloud left to finish his battle with Sephiroth._

_**!WILL UPDATE EVERY WEDNESDAY!**  
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><p>Cloud couldn't help but notice how silent and distant the once lively and fun flower girl was since he got back from searching for Sephiroth. Instead of any of those smiles of hers that Cloud so dearly cherished, he saw only a blank expression on her graceful features,<em> a ghost of her sweet smile lingering<em>, the once vibrant petals of her smile were aged and fading and it ate at Cloud not knowing why.

It weighed on him that he hadn't heard the sweet chimes of her laughter in so long. It honestly pained him to see her so unlike herself and he had no idea what changed in her. He realized just how _ardently_ he yearned for the sound of her joyous giggles to go dancing through his ears once again. For two weeks since arriving back after months, the flower girl he once _knew_, _cherished_, and _loved_ was fading quickly... like a drop of water on the sun's scorching surface. The strong, spirited fire that she had was dying before Cloud's very eyes… and he was desperate to revive it... because without out that flame he loved so greatly within her, his world would fall to darkness.

It was in the night when Cloud found himself knocking at the Cetra's door. He lifted his hand to knock but hesitated, fearing he might wake her from much needed rest. Finally, after going over the thought Cloud decided he had to talk to her. Cloud made sure to knock gently, loud enough to get her attention but not hard enough to stir a fright in her. The light knocks of his knuckles against the wooden door echoed through the small hall. Cloud worried that one of the others would hear but realized he didn't care if they saw him this late at the flower girl's door.

After a few times of his knocks going unnoticed, Cloud walked into the room that belonged to his dear friend, making sure to not startle her if she were asleep. The room was pitch dark, a soft white glow from the moon weakly peeked through the curtains of the window, shining on the bed-_thankfully for Cloud his mako eyes gave him the ability to see through even the darkest of rooms_-and he was able to spot her bed was still made as perfect as it was when he wished her good night just a few hours earlier.

His brow furrowed at the sight, moving forward to the bed to assure himself that what he was seeing was correct. "_Why isn't she asleep?_ "He thought to himself as he fought the rising concern latching viciously to his heart. She was always the one to inform everyone that the early bird always catches the worm… so why the change? Suddenly, he was ripped from his thoughts as he realized that there was a sound of water running. Cloud turned to the slightly creaked open door a few feet away from the bed and saw that the light was off.

"Aerith," he murmured, hoping she would call out to him in response. Hearing no reply, he inched closer to the door, the palm of his hand brushing against the wood until it slowly opened. The moment the door was wide enough for him to see into the room, Cloud felt a large cloud of steam envelope around his body. For some reason Cloud can't explain, he felt his stomach drop. His mind suddenly raced with thoughts of why Aerith could be showering in the dark. His blood ran cold when he flipped on the lights and saw through the open shower door. Aerith was curled up on the floor of the tub, clutching her legs to her body tightly. She was directly under the shower head, allowing the steam water to drench her entire body, soaking the night gown she still had on. Although she was hugging her legs to her chest, her head was leaning against the bathroom wall, her eyes closed, tears streaking her solemn face. Cloud was more alarmed than ever when he saw that she had been sitting in the boiling water for so long that her body's pale complexion was starting to darken in a light red shade.

As if on autopilot, Cloud rushed over to the shower and quickly turned off the water and grabbed a towel off the rack. He kneeled to her side-_uncaring if his own clothes were about to get soaked_-and wrapped the large towel around her petite form. He pulled her into an embrace against his body so he could wrap the cloth around her entirely but when she moved back to look up at him, he saw a pain in her that he never saw before. The once soft loving green gaze started to glaze over with a layer of tears she was fighting to not let fall. His heart dropped when she looked away as if ashamed of herself. "_He's...all over me... it won't go away_. _I keep scrubbing but he's still there..._" she murmured in a broken and defeated breath.

"Aerith…" he whispered, begging her to tell him what was going on.

"_He_…" she began very slowly, her voice was shaking with fear and was hoarse with shame. Cloud felt himself being pulled to the edge as he waited for her slow words to leave her now trembling lips. She swallowed and took a deep breath, her body shaking not from the water but out of self-disgust, then finished the sentence Cloud was going crazy to know the ending of.

"_He_ hurt me…"

At that very moment Cloud's mind frantically tried to fight for the answer to figure out just who exactly had hurt her. His mind quickly thought of the men they knew; Cid or Leon. He first thought of Cid then Leon. Although he knew Aerith considered Leon to be her friend, _fear_ and_ immutable_ devotion to Aerith got the best of him, and he couldn't help but let the primal enmity coursing through his veins accuse one of them. They were already guilty as far as Cloud considered. No matter whom it turned out to be, whether it was his friends or enemy, he _was_ going to get revenge.

He tried desperately to not let his fury carry on his words as he spoke to the woman he loved-although in secrecy- "Aerith… _who _hurt you? Tell me—" his jaw was clenched, a tactic he used to hold back the slow rage consuming him as to avoid scaring her. Then, suddenly she looked away, moving her gaze to the glistening floor of the bathtub. Her next word was one Cloud feared most and hoped would never happen.

"_Sephiroth_."

Cloud felt his heart drop and his stomach twist at the very same time… _he was speechless_. Speechless out of fear of _what _he did to her… _how_ he was able to… He didn't have to know what the silver haired bastard did to her, he was already blaming himself. Cloud kept thinking to himself how this couldn't have happened… _not to her_. He was pulled back to reality when he heard her soft voice whisper very hoarsely;

"_He made me_…" she stopped as her bottom lip started to tremble against her will. She was practically heaving as she fought to finish her sentence_… _but Cloud didn't need her to finish,_ he already knew_.

Cloud felt the world darken around her words. The anger his body was holding back grew to measures unknown to the world. His heart broke at the humiliated look on her face, a look that seemed to give away all too easily what _he_ did to _her_. Somehow, Cloud had let the man he hated most hurt the one he loved and needed more than the very breath in his lungs. He took an innocence in her that she had been holding onto all her life. Sephiroth had her delicate flower in his hand, and he crushed it… _crushed her_. Cloud blamed himself for being away long enough to let the silver snake get close enough to strip her of her innocence she once had. He had raped her both physically and mentally. Taking all that she had to offer with her body and crumbling what was left of her spirit.

The fury took a stronger hold of him than he ever imagined possible. He could hear the primal drums pounding in his ears, pushing him to the edge of darkness as an obsession for revenge quickly took over him. His blood no longer ran cold, but instead, boiled and burned with hunger for revenge against Sephiroth. But revenge would have to come at another time, _Aerith was his main concern now_. And all he wanted to do was to take away as much of the agonizing pain she was going through as possible—even if it was just the slightest bit.

He hugged Aerith closer, his hand gently pulling her face to his chest as he wrapped his arms and towel around her trembling form, holding her securely. It wasn't long until he heard the quiet whimpering cries of Aerith muffled against his shirt. He tried to say anything—to apologize, to tell her everything was going to be alright now, something! But even the right words seemed to fall short when trying to console her. He didn't know how to do or say anything to make her feel better, so he did the one thing he knew he could do… _hold her_. She was safe and sound in his arms… at least, that's what he was hoping he was making her feel—_safe_… and _sound_.

They sat there, for what seemed like forever, just holding her closely never wanting to let her go. She was still crying shamefully but quietly in Cloud's chest, when he felt her body shivering from the cold air on her damp skin, Cloud lifted her up, scooping her fragile body gently into the strong embrace of his arms. He rose and left the bathroom, taking slow steps towards the freshly made bed before gently placing her delicate form against the sheets. Feeling the warmth of his arms drop from around her, Aerith opened her eyes to peer up at her blonde bodyguard, bewildered where he was going…and scared of him leaving, she sat up, her legs dangling over the edge of her bed, ready to follow him if he was planning on leaving. Her tears had come to a brief stop as she looked up at Cloud, her eyes puffy and red from all the tears that fell for so long.

She spoke in a hoarse desperate plea; "Please… _Don't go_." Her voice was cloggy and weak, begging him to stay with her tonight, _to just hold her_. Cloud felt his heart ache when he saw her mouth tremble just the slightest bit as she asked him to stay and in that instant he couldn't imagine ever saying no.

Not saying a word Cloud cautiously stepped closer to the other side of the bed, opposite of Aerith, and layed down. Without saying a word, Aerith slowly backed herself up against Cloud, just inches from her back touching his chest. Making sure to not startle her, Cloud attentively started to wrap his arm around her, holding her safely in his embrace, she clasped at his hand desperately approving of his action. Within moments of his arm falling over her side, she started to cry again, her breath hitching in between her weeping.

Cloud felt so helpless listening to her cry so painfully. He would have given anything to undo what had been done to her but he knew fate wasn't so kind to grant such wishes. He opened his mouth to speak but suddenly felt Aerith turn around and face him, still locked in his embrace. Her green eyes were still reddened from crying, her cheeks a matching shade. The very sight made Cloud feel as though it was some sick level of hell he had been condemned to. He could see her throat move as she swallowed before whispering; "_Hold me_…?" her voice was still cloggy as she mustered up all the willpower to hold back any more tears as she spoke. Her statement wasn't so much a question but more so a request.

Without even thinking it over, Cloud pulled her closer until she was against his chest, her arms tucked in front of her against Cloud's chest. Cloud wrapped both of his arms around her frame and held her tightly and gently, making sure to let her know he wasn't going to let anyone hurt her _ever_ again. He could feel his shirt dampen from the pools of tears she was crying against him. And with each torture-filled droplet of water against his shirt, Cloud felt his heart shatter and his soul wither to nothing. He had to fight back his own tears as he continued to hear her whimpers of agony through the night.

They embraced each other quietly, assuring her that he wasn't going anywhere. They laid like that until her cries faded as she fell into a long awaited slumber.

_to be continued..._

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><p><em>So, first chapter! What do you all think? Enough angst? Tell me what you think. It's breaking my heart to imagine Aerith going through this so that's my main fuel for writing this. I wrote five chapters to this story already that I am ready to upload at any time, <strong>but I will post one chapter every Wednesday as to make this story stretch a bit mor<strong>_**e**. _I hope you all enjoyed this gloomy first chapter. See you next time._


	2. The Wolf Rises

The next day Cloud awoke to find Aerith still clutching to the fabric of his shirt, her face nuzzled close against his chest. Cloud tilted his head to get a better glance at her sleeping face and for the first time in weeks, he saw her coral pink lips forming a faint smile. His heart fluttered at the sight but the feeling quickly vanished as his mind reminded him of what he learned the night before. Suddenly the happy feeling he had over seeing her smiling faded to that of uncontrollable anger towards the man that hurt her. The fury was rising again and Cloud felt his lungs tighten from not being able to unleash it.

Making sure to not wake her, Cloud sat up, throwing his feet over the side of the bed. He rested his elbows on his knees and his face in his hands, clutching at the top of his skull as he unwillingly saturated himself in his own agony from imaging Aerith being put through the horrid and hellish thing she had to endure. He sat there silently, almost forgetting to breathe as he started to see red. He had to clench his jaw to hold himself back from screaming in anguish. He was burning with fury, learning through this sorrow about what he would have to do next.

He felt Aerith rustle in the sheets of the bed, but kept his back turned, his face down in shame for letting her get hurt. Aerith rolled over in the sheets and saw Cloud leaning forward, using his arms as a way to brace himself up. There was a dark aurora around him that she had never seen before... and it made her more uneasy than ever. She had been trying to keep the humiliating memory just that—_a memory_, out of fear of her friends' reactions. _Would they blame her_? _Would they say she deserved it_? _Or would they hate her for keeping it to herself_? Those thoughts plagued her mind over the last few weeks and for that fear alone she kept quiet about her torturous night. But when Cloud came to her room and held her like that, she couldn't hold back the truth any more. When Cloud found her, she was desperately trying to wash away the disgust Sephiroth had left on her—she did so almost every night, pleading to God to let her forget the memory completely… but the night never seemed to leave her. She would scrub and scrub, bath herself in scorching water—but it never seemed to do any good. _She was forever tainted_. She felt so dirty. She couldn't even look at her own reflection. She tried to fight him off… but her mind just kept telling her that she could have done more. Maybe it _was_ her fault_…_

It wasn't until Cloud held her that any of the pain seemed to dull. But at her own yearning for a sense of peace, she ended up hurting Cloud by telling him, and for that she hated herself. She was still scared and hurt about herself but she was in more pain when she saw Cloud so distraught now. She mentally complained to herself about how she could be so selfish. This wasn't like her. She was usually the one that could be leaned on for help. But no matter how hard she tried, she couldn't be as strong as she once was. She had to speak… say something.

When Cloud heard Aerith say his name he couldn't help but look back at her out of surprise, catching a glimpse of her saddened eyes. As if knowing exactly what she was thinking, Cloud spoke softly but firmly as he averted his gaze from her, his back turned to her once more as he rested his forehead in the palms of his hands; "Don't." Aerith swallowed as a perplexed look swirled in her now glossy eyes.

"What—" she started but was cut off by Cloud's husky whisper; "Don't you dare worry about me right now." Aerith felt her heart slow at hearing that. He saw right through her and detected exactly what she was thinking. He was shaking his head in disbelief at her selfless thoughts. It was just like Aerith to worry about others…even when she was the one in most need. The whole time he knew her, Cloud would let her put others before her but he would be damned if she were going to do that now, especially about himself.

She opened her mouth to speak but was cut off once again by Cloud, he made eye contact with her, his blue gaze locked with her jade; "You _always_ help me when I need you… it's my turn to be there for you now."

She swallowed as she felt a burning in her eyes. She loved knowing Cloud cared for her so greatly, but she knew it was torturing him inside just as much as it was to her. She knew Cloud blamed himself for a lot, and crying her problems out to him was unacceptable and just thinking about what pain she put him through made her want to die. She blamed herself for all of it, for letting Sephiroth attack her… and for pushing her problem onto Cloud.

"Cloud, I shouldn't have pushed all of this on you—"

"Don't blame yourself for this, you hear me?" The start of Cloud's words were shaky as he felt his own eyes starting to burn but he strengthened his statement towards the end, hoping to prove to her that she needn't worry for him and try and focus on herself instead. His voice was firm, matching the determination in his eyes. "_None_ of this is your fault."

Her lip started to quiver slightly and she felt as if she were to start crying all over again. She quickly averted her gaze, hoping to stop any tears from falling. Seeing her on the verge of tears pulled at Cloud's heart, he just wanted to erase all of it. As she lay there, her gaze towards the roof tears brimming the rims of her eyes, Cloud leaned forward, resting his forehead in the bend of her neck. He felt her arm wrap around his head holding him as he breathed gently against her skin.

"I'm sorry—" he murmured, his voice steady but quiet enough that Aerith almost couldn't detect it and had it not been for him repeating those two words two more times, she wouldn't have heard them. "I'm sorry. I'm so sorry."

She felt her heart sink to the pit of her stomach when she heard those two words linger off of his lips. She hated knowing he was so hurt but she loved hearing the endearing words from him especially now after all that happened. His words were so tranquil and so calming. It was as if angels themselves were wrapping their arms around her when he showed such solace towards her. She smiled weakly at the feeling of safeness he was stirring in her.

Cloud could feel her heart pounding against his own chest, reminding him that this wasn't just a dream. He knew no amount of apologies could undo what has been done but he felt as though those words were going to eat at him unless they were spoken to the flower girl that he loved so greatly. They sat there silently for a few moments until Aerith spoke, and what she said surprised Cloud greatly.

He heard her let out a cloggy giggle as she sniffled; "Your hair's so spikey." She ran her fingers through a few of his blonde locks to gesture to them as she added; "They're poking my cheek." She let a small laugh linger in the back of her throat as she tried to lighten his mood. And Cloud couldn't help but smile weakly to himself at her playfulness. It was just like her to crack some cute playful joke in a time like this. He didn't want to smile but somehow she got him to. He loved but hated it. He loved seeing her acting a bit like her old self but hated that she was doing it to lighten his mood when it should be him concerned with her.

Cloud backed away slowly, leaning on his knuckles against the mattress as he gazed down at her. She wasn't physically smiling but her eyes seemed to have a vibrant glow in them that made Cloud feel as though she was. He let a weak smile form on his handsome features, hoping to win one back but instead, she simply wrapped her arms around him, hugging him tightly. She hid her face against his chest and sighed. "Cloud…?"

"Yeah?"

"I'm a little hungry."

Cloud fought a weak smile when he heard her sweet confession. Stepping off the bed, Cloud outstretched his hand to her, offering her a hand up. "C'mon, I'll make you somethin'."

Aerith grabbed his hand, Cloud pulling her to her feet all too easily, as if she were no heavier than a feather. Cloud had so much to think about… _his revenge—making Sephiroth pay for what he did_—but decided that for now, he would push his own fury aside and focus on making her a good breakfast.

Cloud headed towards the kitchen, Aerith timidly following behind him as to not fall too far behind. Once there, Cloud wandered over to the cabinet, taking out some pancake mixture. Aerith watched him intently, keeping track of all the ingredients he was putting on the counter. She saw him take out two eggs, a few pieces of bacon and a cup of blueberries. "Mind pancakes?" He asked, leaning on his knuckles against the island-top, Aerith opposite of him. She shook her head girlishly to say she didn't mind, a slight twinkle in her eye as she anticipated watching the what Sora called "stone-cold" Cloud Strife cook. He nodded and turned to the shelves.

He took a small bowl down from the shelf and put a handful of the berries in, then filled it with some water before adding a spoonful of sugar.

"What are you doing now?" She questioned, her eyes wide with curiosity.

"Sweetening up the berries so they're not as bitter in the batter." Cloud said, watching her as he stirred the berries jus the slightest bit. After finishing there, Cloud poured some pancake mixture into another bowl and added water, stirring it till it was a solidified liquid. Cloud plopped the batter down in front of Aerith, "Here, add the berries with this spoon." Cloud handed her a metal spoon with drain holes and Aerith started to immediately stir in the berries. Meanwhile, Cloud put some bacon on the stove and after cooking for a few moments he removed the pork and started on their eggs just as he added two pancakes to another pan. Aerith was amazed at what she was witnessing. Cloud… cooking! What a sight. As he readied the eggs and blueberry pancakes, Aerith noticed Cloud giving her affectionate glances from time to time. And for each moment he did, she felt the dirty residue of her past slowly dull. Aerith felt her tummy rumbling fiercely at the delicious smells floating through the air. Before long, Cloud had placed her breakfast in front of her, his own meal at hand as well. They both ate silently, with Aerith making a few comments about the food and how it was absolutely perfect.

Cloud knew it was going to take some time to get over this, to help her move past it—but this was a start.

**xxx**

A few days had passed since Cloud had sworn revenge against Sephiroth—and he was damn well going to get it. He just didn't know how to do it without leaving Aerith's side. He hated the idea of leaving her-_even more so now_-but he couldn't let Sephiroth roam around gloating about what he did to her and possibly planning to hurt her again, especially since Cloud knew Sephiroth only did so _because_ of him. For that, Cloud knew it was his fault. Sephiroth had no idea who Aerith was other than Cloud's association to her and the more than obvious affection he carried for the flower girl. It was getting frustrating. He wanted his revenge, to try and win back what the silver snake had taken from Aerith—but he had no way to get it. All he could do now… was prepare for when he does meet the object of all of his hatred—_Sephiroth_.

In the spare time away from Aerith, Cloud would busy himself with training. Fighting as many heartless at once, training himself for whatever fight he was throwing himself into. He fought every day, and Aerith even started to notice.

"Cloud!" Cid yelled furiously to the blonde swordsmen just as he finished off some heartless. Cloud looked back towards his friend on instinct, dreading the possibility that it could be bad news about Aerith. Cloud's cold stare seemed to say "the hell do you want" and Cid took the initiative to speak before the broody Blonde got annoyed, therefor annoying himself as well.

"Aerith's wonderin' where tha hell ya are and what tha hell ya been up to!"

Cloud dropped his heavy sword to the floor and walked over to him. "What does she need?" Cloud said in half overexerted huff. He was ready to be by her side, but he needed to know before he stopped his training completely.

Cid put one of his hands on his hip as he took a big puff off of his cigarette before taking it from his lips to flick the ashes. "Hell should I know. She just was worried about ya, is all I know, Spike." Cloud looked to the floor and contemplated leaving as to prevent Aerith from worrying about him. But at the moment, he couldn't face her. Not being able to finish his fight against Sephiroth was stirring a primal emotion in him of raw hatred and impatience. _"I still have to train…" _he argued to himself.

"Tell her I'll see her in a few hours." Cloud said dryly as he picked up his sword to continue fighting. Cid just shook his head. "Nah, your ass will do it."

Cloud looked at him, his brow lifted in question. But before he could even say a word Cid spoke softer than usual. "She seems kinda… down, if ya know what I mean." Cloud froze at hearing those words.

"Somethin's botherin' her Cloud, someone has to figure out why—and that someone is you." Cid was crossing his arms now, taking a few more drags off of his smoke.

"Did she—" Cloud paused, looking for the right use of words, "say anything else?"

"No, she just asked where the hell you were. Of course, minus the 'hell' part, damn girl never says anything like that." Cloud felt the corner of his mouth tug at Cid's comment, it was true. She never said any cuss words, no matter what.

"Tell her I'll be there soon."

Back at the Radiant Garden house Aerith was in the middle of cooking one of her self-proclaimed famous stews. Little by little, Aerith was moving past that hellish night. She still hadn't laughed honestly in what seemed like forever or even smiled as brightly and wholeheartedly as she used to, but she wasn't trying to scrub away those sinful remains of him off her body anymore and that was a good sign. She still had nightmares some nights, but she was dealing.

Suddenly, she heard the sound of footsteps travel behind her, pulling her from her thoughts. She turned to see the approaching person. It was Cid, Leon, and Yuffie. She frowned a bit when seeing Cloud was missing. As if reading her mind Cid informed her about how Cloud was coming as soon as possible. The group of friends sat down as Aerith poured them their serving of the stew. She poured her own and placed a loaf of bread in the center of the table. It wasn't two minutes that they sat down before they heard knocks at the door. Seeing that none of the others were about to see who was at the door, Aerith rose and left the room, answering the door but there was no one there. "Hello?" she called but her greeting went unanswered. Just as she was about to shut the door she noticed a small envelope on the floor. There was one word on the front of the letter.

_Her name_.

Aerith hesitated for a moment, looking around for any possible face that could have left the note, but there were none. She kneeled to the floor in a feminine manner, making sure her dress didn't ride up even though it was lower than her knees. She lifted the note and looked at its back. It was sealed with a red mark, Aerith could see it resembled a wing of some sort. Curious to see the enclosed message, Aerith rose and shut the door. She needed a letter opener. She took her time getting to her room, walking over to her dresser and taking out the needed tool. She sat on the edge of the bed and tore open the mysterious message. As soon as the parchment had parted open, Aerith removed whatever was inside. She took out a pressed red rose. Her breath was stolen from her as she remembered the item. Her hands were shaking violently as she let the pressed flower slip through her delicate fingers and down to the floor, her blood chilling quickly.

All she could hear was her own heart throbbing in her ears, her eyes started to burn from the tears starting to build as she looked back at the wreckage of her past. The cold feel of his hands on her body came rushing back to her at the mere sight of that flower. She started to shake at the remembrance of him tracing her most secret spot of her body with his hands, toying with her lower body as if she were some emotionless doll existing only for his pleasure.

This specific flower was a symbol of how he ruined every inch of her, both bodily and spiritually. She had tried so hard to forget this, hiding it through denial and lies about what happened… but it was all coming back to her now.

Suddenly, Aerith heard steps coming up the hall. She quickly dropped to the floor, picking up the flower and crumbling it in her hands before throwing it to the bucket near her dresser. Still shaking, Aerith tried to calm herself before whoever was coming saw her in that scared, trembling state.

It was Yuffie. "Aer, what are you doing in here? Your stew's all cold now." Aerith rose to her feet, wobbling as she fought the urge of her knees wanting to give out from under her. She straightened herself and tried to act as thought nothing happened. "I—needed to go to the bathroom."

"Oh, well, okay!" Yuffie buzzed as she tip toed out of the room, leaving Aerith alone once more. Feeling as if her lungs were about to collapse, Aerith tried to take a deep breath but it was useless. Her body was doing what it wanted not what she needed.

She hadn't the slightest clue of _how_ this flower had shown up… more importantly… _why_ it did. The only conclusion she could arrive at was one of Sephiroth harboring a new plan. Her mind frantically went to every possibility. _Was he wanting her again_? _Was he planning to humiliate her by letting her friends know_? Not knowing was driving her crazy. She felt so overwhelmed by the emotions in her that she collapsed onto the bed, face against the sheets as she let tears streak down her face, weeping silently to herself.

By the time Cloud had arrived back at the gangs house, everyone was finished with their meal. The house was quiet except Cid shouting cuss words at Squall as they played a game of poker. Cloud walked past the two and saw Yuffie painting her nails on the couch. Immediately, he wondered where Aerith was. He made his way to her room, knocking a few times to get permission to enter. Cloud slowly creaked open the door and saw Aerith asleep on top of her covers. Her face was lying face down, on top of her folded arms, her bare feet were dangling off the side of the bed. Cloud couldn't help but notice the strangeness of her slumbering form. It was a position that didn't look intentional, not in the slightest. He slowly walked over and leaned over to touch her arm. It was damp… and so was her face. Cloud saw the tip of her nose was a red shade, indicating she had been crying.

He felt his stomach bunch at the thought. _He should have been here_… Gritting his teeth, Cloud looked to the sky pleading to a God he never believed in before to help him now. He asked for the pain in Aerith to disappear… to make her suffering end. After realizing his desperate plea would go unanswered, Cloud cursed the heavens ad after a moment, he reached over to Aerith and lifted her feet onto the bed, straightening her so she could have a better rest. He took the knitted blanket and draped it over her petite form. He didn't want to leave her alone, in case she woke scared but he didn't want to lay on her bed unless she asked—not wanting her to get scared of sudden closeness without knowing how it happened.

So he layed down in the small couch across the room, leaning his head back against the arm rest, using it as a pillow. He covered his eyes with his forearm, blocking out any light from the setting sun.

It was well into the night when Cloud awoke suddenly to sudden movement. His eyes opened just in time to catch Aerith hesitantly taking her place next to his form on the small sofa. As she rested her face against his shoulder and chest, she curled her legs up, tucking them up as to avoid them dangling off of the cushion. Cloud noticed the space left on the sofa that she was trying to fit on wasn't enough, even for a petite woman like her. He adjusted himself until he was laying on his side, facing Aerith, his arm tucked under her making sure she couldn't roll backwards. Unaware of him being awake Aerith hid her face into his chest, sandwiching her hands between her and Cloud's chest.

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><p><strong>So sorry for how long this took to update. Been helping a friend out with something-but I'm pretty free now so I'll update more often. Anyway, this was a pretty long chapter. I thought it had some fluffy moments of them cuddling but then again, it has a pretty dark moment as well. It seems like a pretty light chapter but the revenge and darker side of this story is about to happen. <strong>

**But first, I need to ask this. I'm thinking of making Aerith recall what happened with Sephiroth, but I'm a little uncomfortable about how to approach it in the next chapter. I wanted this to be a fiction about Cloud getting revenge but I feel as though I'm leaving out a part of the story that invokes the readers emotion to understand the pain and anger of Cloud and Aerith. So if you're unsure you're prepared to read such dark sexual things... be warned the next chapter might have it.  
><strong>

**The next chapter will be up next Wednesday... and that's a promise.**


	3. The Wreckage

The next day, Cloud woke to find Aerith still by his side. Cloud knew she had cried herself to sleep, but he wasn't going to pry that truth from her unless she said so first. He hated knowing that she was still being tortured by what his nemesis had put her through and he wanted nothing more than to take away her tears...

When the two left the room and parted their ways for their daily routine Aerith found that her only companion was her frantic mind. Aerith couldn't bring herself to tell Cloud about the flower she had gotten. She wasn't even sure if it arrived for the reason she thought it did and she didn't want to burden him more than she already was.

She knew Cloud had been pushing himself to the limit in training and she wasn't about to push him more by bringing this up. She might have been terrified just by the mere sight of the pressed rose, but now that she was in a calmer state she realized that it could have been anything. Maybe Squall put it there for her? Yes... that's what it was. That's what she had to tell herself. Everything was alright now…

Optimistically delusional, Aerith assured herself over and over again that the flower was just a mere coincidence and chose to ignore it for the better, it was the only way she could go about her day in a normal way.

During the mid-day, Cid and Yuffie had asked Aerith to go to the library to do some research and so she did. She had been there for hours reading the books that held the information they needed, when it dawned on her how alone she was. She looked around the small candle lit room of books, on edge about any on looking strangers that could be creeping about. After eying the room and assuring herself no one was lurking, she turned back to her book and moments faded as she finally finished. She stood, ready to leave, and walked back into the deeper set of shelves located at the back of the library.

Just as she started to scoot the book into its right place between the other books, she felt her body shoved against the shelf and turned around, pressing her back against the wall of the shelf. She yelped in pain at the sudden harsh act. She had clenched her eyes shut as a reflex to the pain, but when she cautiously opened her eyes to see who was bothering her she felt all the air in her body vanish. Her petrified green eyes met the cold blue stair of the silver haired monster that hurt her so greatly. The snake-grinned man bore into her eyes, waiting to crush her completely and Aerith felt her lungs tense as her blood ran cold.

She opened her mouth to scream but was stopped when Sephiroth slammed her into the shelf again, sending books to the floor as pain racked through her body. The pain in her back radiated immensely and she couldn't fight tears that were already soaking her face. She screamed no, her voice scratchy with fear but her sound of desperation only seemed to entice the silver haired man.

He didn't say a word as he took his left hand and held her throat, blocking her ability to make any more of a sound other than a few broken whimpers. His hand tightened enough to quiet her but not completely prevent her from breathing. She choked back sobs as fear rushed through her trembling body. Suddenly she felt Sephiroth reach between her legs. She squirmed at the touch, trying desperately to prevent him from touching her again but her shows of desperation never seemed to slow Sephiroth's actions. She squirmed and battled against him, trying to keep her legs shut, but failed to actually stop him. She felt him pin her other leg to the wall with his own leg, leaving a wide enough opening between her legs so he could continue his sick game. Aerith tried to scream but her voice never left her throat.

It felt like a nightmare, she was completely powerless again. She felt just as disgusting as she did that first night as he toyed with her as if she existed only for his cruel torture. She opened her mouth to scream again but still nothing. She felt so ashamed and so alone. She hated herself for allowing this. Crying, she saw Sephiroth lowering his mouth to her ear and whispered in a quite cold voice; "I always get what I want. And you'll give it to me_… just like before_."

In an instant, Sephiroth managed to tear off her clothes without her even realizing how. He positioned himself against her, his body, once more, about to ravish in her temple. Aerith prayed Cloud would walk in and save her from him the entire time… "Cloud!" she screamed hoarsely, a show of desperation as she tried to summon her bodyguard. But nothing. She reached for a book, hoping to hit the man over the head, but the book seemed to only grow farther and farther away. _Pathetic_, she thought to herself. She was so strong usually and now... so weak. What had he broken her down to? This wasn't the vibrant, strong woman her friends always praised her for being. It was as if she had been reduced to a weak child and she felt so much hatred towards herself for allowing him to make her so weak.

Then, suddenly! Aerith felt herself shaken awake. She flung her head up from the library table, fear written on her pale face as she twitched away from the hold of whoever was touching her shoulder. After realizing it was a nightmare she timidly looked up to greet the shocked and curious gaze of Squall's steel eyes. Somehow, she had fallen asleep and dreamt of the hellish event with the heartless angel of darkness. Her sudden pull away startled Squall and all he could do was look at her with a perplexed expression written on his scarred features.

"What the hell is the matter with you?" he shouted as Aerith rose. Aerith's body was shaking tremendously as she stood on her two feet. Without saying a word to her friend she ran as fast as she could from the library.

Aerith wasn't sure _where_ she was running to but she had to get away from that place. No matter how fast she ran, the memories of that painful night seemed to shadow her everywhere. Suddenly, after running for some time, Aerith found herself in bloodcurdling familiar place and that horrid night came back to her once more, hitting her like a bag of bricks.

**XXX**

_Although not the only one among the group mature enough to shop and cook, Aerith had been making her daily routine of visiting Radiant Garden's local residents, picking up fruits, veggies, and bread and milk for the various meals she would have to make for her friends. She was a little thankful for the busy day she always had because it kept her from thinking about where or how Cloud was doing. He recently left Radiant Garden, hoping to settle his battle with his eternal rival who Aerith knew very little about._

_As Aerith reached the end of her route, somehow, the time had passed her and it was now dark. Her basket of food still in hand, she followed down a small alley that she knew was a short cut, passing through a small cove of abandoned buildings that had been left to rot after the surge of heartless had ruined most parts of the town. Aerith suddenly realized just how dark it was when she arrived in the lightless part of the town. The cool night air was now bringing Goosebumps to her exposed skin. Aerith heard a strange sound above her and stopped to peer at the night sky to try and find out what it was. It sounded almost like wings, Aerith thought curiously. _

_Aerith brushed it off as just being a few night owls and continued down the path she was on. But as she walked the sound of wings fluttering got not only louder but closer. Once more, she stopped in her tracks to look around her surroundings to try and find out the source of the strange sound. Suddenly, the shadows of the alley got darker, alarming the brunette woman. _

_Aerith's first thought was that she was about to run into a hoard of heartless and her initial reaction was to run, and so she did. She walked faster down the alley, her eyes catching glimpses of the shadows that seem to be following her. She cut through the alley, making a turn down a dirt road until she reached the small forest just outside of Radiant Garden. She stopped quickly, her feet skidding against the dirt of the pathway as something fluttered down from the sky, stealing her attention completely. She wasn't quite sure what she was looking at but for some unexplained reason it gave her a feeling of uneasiness. She held out her delicate hand, catching a large _pitch black feather_ in the palm of her hand. She closed her hand over the soft object, examining it closely. _

_Suddenly, she heard the tree tops rustling. She looked above her, hoping to capture a glimpse of whatever was stirring above her. She stepped backwards, her eyes still on the tree tops when suddenly, she bumped into something strange. She jumped with fright and twirled around to see what she had bumped into. Her innocent green eyes fell on a tall dark dressed figure. He had a strong jawline, intense snake-like eyes of a blue and green mixture, and long slick silver hair. His muscled build towered over her petite form, and his eyes held a sense of darkness that she had never seen before. _

_She stepped back instinctively but felt the strange silver haired man grab her arm. She tried to pull away but the man's hold tightened even more, to the point of pain. _

_"Let go of me!" Aerith shouted with force, continuing to try and pull out of the man's hold. _

_"Do you know who I am?" said the man in almost a lust filled manner, his eyes glazing over with anticipation. _

_"What?" Aerith spat, in confusion. "No! I don't! Now let go of me!" she demanded as she flung her arm downward, causing the silver haired man to lose his hold of her arm. Not wasting a moment's time, Aerith turned and ran as fast as she could but her attempt was useless as the man landed from the sky and stood in front of her, without breaking so much as a sweat. Aerith's eyes widened as she let her glare look over his features and without any warning, the man backhanded her, sending her flying to the floor. She lost consciousness as her head smacked into a large rock on the floor. _

_Grinning viciously, the man lifted her off the floor and into his arms before leaping into the night air and heading to his lair… _

_After an hour, Aerith winced as she awoke in a dark and strange room, she was dressed in a sheer and short night gown. She was chained to a large bed, her left hand locked to the bed post, leaving her as a prisoner. She couldn't remember a thing, not how she got there nor how she got in these clothes. Then, suddenly, she saw the same man that she had ran into in the forest, standing in front of her. She scooted back against the bedboard, fear running through her veins. _

_The man's cold and cruel eyes looked monstrous, sending a shiver of fear down her spine._

_"Who are you! and what do you want!" Aerith spat demandingly, her voice trying to sound confident and calm but failing. All the man could do was smirk and made his way to the bedside, taking his place next to her as if him being next to her was a natural thing._

_"I am Sephiroth, girl." he stopped to grab her face with his hand, turning her face to the side so he could whisper in her ear; "and what I want… you will soon find out." His words slithered through her mind, chilling her blood. She tried to turn her face out of his hand but he tightened his hold on her, squeezing her jaw tight enough to make her groan in pain. _

_He let go of her jaw and slid his hand to her throat and squeezed firmly, choking her for a moment as he spoke to her vehemently; "You can fight me as much as you want but it won't do you any good." He tightened his grasp around her throat, causing her to lose consciousness briefly. She fainted then regained consciousness a few moments later and found herself chained by both hands now. _

_She jumped up with fright, trying to break free of the chains but her attempt was futile. Frantically, Aerith looked to the side of the bed, and saw Sephiroth lit by the moonlight, peeling off his clothes one by one, leaving only his pants on. Suddenly, she knew _exactly_ what was going to happen. She felt her eyes starting to water, her heart beat beginning to race as she tried desperately to break free from the torture she knew he was about to inflict on her._

_Sephiroth's body hovered above her trembling form, his hand roaming up her leg making Aerith scream in anguish as she felt him bury his mouth in the bend of her neck, kissing her against her will. She squirmed desperately, trying to stop him, but it was useless. His mouth traveled up her neck, stopping at her ear. "I bet you're praying that the puppet saves you, aren't you?" Sephiroth hissed maliciously. Aerith inhaled deeply before screaming to the strange man; "I don't know who you're talking about! Let me go!" _

_Sephiroth pulled back to look her in the face, his hand brushing across her cheek, a fake show of affection. "Oh, but you _do_ know who I'm speaking of. You know the puppet by another name…" he stopped momentarily to finish his sentence; "… _Cloud_." _

_Aerith's heart stopped in that moment. Was _this_ who Cloud left to settle his past with? Before she could ask herself anymore questions she felt him run his hands up her body, groping her against her will as she screamed, kicked, and pleaded for her inner strength to grow strong enough to fight off the man. _

_Everything seemed like a blur to her, she felt emotionally numb but physically aware of what this heartless man was doing to her. He traced her neck and collar bone with his slithering tongue, biting her skin with his fang-like-teeth. His body was heavy on top of hers, stealing all the air in her lungs. _

_All she could focus on was the agonizing wound between her hips and the feel of hot blood exiting the source of all her pain as her hips lifted and separated to his size. She wasn't expecting this. This hurt so much more than she ever expected. The pain of his blunt organ inside of her and the rough speed and force of his movements made her lightheaded, her vision blacking out not only with pain but with anger and fear. She bit her lip so hard she was sure she cut straight through it-but it didn't matter. She would rather endure that pain than let him hear her cry.  
><em>

_After he was finished having his way with her, he took a long stemmed red rose from off the table beside them and ran its soft head up the side of her body, tracing the curve of her hips then leading the bloomed rose between her legs, brushing the sore area between her legs with the soft flower head, antagonizing her for a few moments with his wicked parody of affection. He then brushed the rose head up her belly and over her navel, stopping at her breast to circle one of her exposed nipples that he had already brutalized with his mouth. He placed a kiss atop her exposed bosom and sent a primal sensation through her body—not one of pleasure, but of pure _hatred _and _disgust_. She wanted nothing more than to take any near blunt object and beat the man off of her but her hands were chained and she was defenseless. She closed her eyes and went into a world that she had power in; Flames consuming him as she set him afire, water flooding his lungs as she envisioned drowning the man—she must have killed him a thousand times in her mind… and she hated that he made her think such a way… it was just one more way he had ruined who she was._

_"I always get what I want." He whispered savagely as he looked up at her, an evil and wide grin spreading on his pale face, spitefully bearing his white teeth to the wounded woman he had ruthlessly defiled. In that moment, Aerith saw an opening to make her feelings of loathing and grievance known to this pathetic animal. She inhaled deeply, sucking back as much of the saliva in her mouth as she possibly could, hawking it back in the deep of her throat before sending a ball of her spit at the treacherous man's face. _

_As soon as her disrespectful deed was done Aerith had an ache in her stomach that told her she shouldn't have done it, fearing that the worse was about to come. But at the same time she felt a sense of ratification and satisfaction in seeing the man look completely shocked and disgusted by her action of sheer hate and disrespect. Almost too soon, the shocked expression on his face contorted in rage and malice as a slick smile formed on his strong features. _

_"_My turn_." the silver haired demon hummed wickedly as he lessened the space between them once more, preparing his next act of torture for the girl, payback for what she did to him moments ago…_

_She was mere dust in his hands now. Like a delicate flower that he was crumbling in his touch as he stole everything from her…_

_**XXX**  
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Aerith lost balance as she collapsed to the floor, hiding her face in her small, trembling hands as she felt shame once more fall over her as she looked back at the wreckage of her past. She was so lost in her own dark world that she hadn't noticed the footsteps quickly arriving behind her. The presence of someone lingered behind her, and fear ran through her. She froze, petrified of who was behind her…!

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><p><strong>Yikes, hopefully that wasn't TOO much detail. I wanted to elude to what happened and what he put her through but not too much detail.<br>**

**Like I said, next chapter next Wednesday!**


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